Paper or Plastic Bags ?
Plastic is a by product of oil, meaning if we use less plastic bags we use less oil, which is fantastic.
1 ton of paper bags equals 13-17 trees, and I like trees don't you?
With that being said, which is the earthly way to go? The answer is neither. Reusable bags made from renewable resources, such as cotton, is the definite way to go.
Plastic Bags
Its been estimated that 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used each year. Thats equal to more than 1 million per minute. A lot of these bags end up as litter in parks, on roads clogging drains , hanging from trees like little scary ghost bags and in our rivers, lakes and oceans. The latter killing immense amounts of marine life each year, as they consume the bags mistakenly for food. Furthermore these bags are not biodegradable and actually break down into tinier more toxic particles (photodegradation). However they are recyclable. Most grocery stores have a bin where you can drop off your bags which are then recycled. If your grocery store does not have a bin and you don't have access to a bin, make sure to reuse bags that you have. I always keep a couple in my backpack when hiking to use as a liner if my boots get dry. They can be used as garbage bin liners instead of buying them. Or the obvious, reuse them for your groceries.
Paper Bags
They don't have as bad of a reputation as plastic bags but the amount of waste and pollution produced from the machines that harvest the trees and produce the paper to make the the bags, is being greatly felt by mother nature. They are also more accessible to being recycled which puts a check mark in their good column. If you have a compost pile, paper bags can be composted as well, provided the amount of printing on them is low. If these options don't work for you they also make excellent wrapping paper for gifts or garbage bin liners.
As I said before though, reusable bags are the way to go and most grocery stores carry their own line of them, for a reasonable price. Keep them in your vehicle so you always have them when you go to the store and if you do forget them just say you don't need a bag if you can carry what you bought. Reduce !
1 ton of paper bags equals 13-17 trees, and I like trees don't you?
With that being said, which is the earthly way to go? The answer is neither. Reusable bags made from renewable resources, such as cotton, is the definite way to go.
Plastic Bags
Its been estimated that 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used each year. Thats equal to more than 1 million per minute. A lot of these bags end up as litter in parks, on roads clogging drains , hanging from trees like little scary ghost bags and in our rivers, lakes and oceans. The latter killing immense amounts of marine life each year, as they consume the bags mistakenly for food. Furthermore these bags are not biodegradable and actually break down into tinier more toxic particles (photodegradation). However they are recyclable. Most grocery stores have a bin where you can drop off your bags which are then recycled. If your grocery store does not have a bin and you don't have access to a bin, make sure to reuse bags that you have. I always keep a couple in my backpack when hiking to use as a liner if my boots get dry. They can be used as garbage bin liners instead of buying them. Or the obvious, reuse them for your groceries.
Paper Bags
They don't have as bad of a reputation as plastic bags but the amount of waste and pollution produced from the machines that harvest the trees and produce the paper to make the the bags, is being greatly felt by mother nature. They are also more accessible to being recycled which puts a check mark in their good column. If you have a compost pile, paper bags can be composted as well, provided the amount of printing on them is low. If these options don't work for you they also make excellent wrapping paper for gifts or garbage bin liners.
As I said before though, reusable bags are the way to go and most grocery stores carry their own line of them, for a reasonable price. Keep them in your vehicle so you always have them when you go to the store and if you do forget them just say you don't need a bag if you can carry what you bought. Reduce !
posted by peeetur at
2:53 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home